The Painter
by Treta Aysel
Summary: Serena Sanders is a blind painter. Darien Ross is an art collector. These two meet and fall in love. Only problem is he's engaged and lives in New York. I suck a summiers so, please read.
1. Chapter 1

**The Painter:**

**Chapter 1:**

Darien Ross sat at his desk looking through a stack of papers. Each of the pages had a name of an artist on them. After an hour of going through the papers and not finding what he was looking for, he sighed and picked up the stack of papers. The bottom page fell to the floor unnoticed.

Soon after he left the room his sister, Raye, came into the room to see if she could talk to him. When she didn't see him she turned to leave that's when the paper caught her eye. Raye bent down and picked the paper up. She read it to herself as she left the room and walked down the hall to her brother's room. She then knocked on the door. "What?" Darien asked when he saw his sister standing there.

"You dropped this." Raye told him as she handed him the paper.

Darien took the paper from Raye and read it. "Where did you find this?"

"On the floor in your den." She told him.

"This is wonderful. We may have a new client. Go and tell Beryl that we are leaving for San Francisco tomorrow. I have to make a few phone calls."

Raye snorted as he walked past her to the den. _'Like I want to tell that bitch anything. What possessed him to date her? Let alone as her to marry him.' _Rei thought to herself as she walked down the stairs of the house to find Beryl.

When Raye finally found Beryl she was in the bathroom 'freshening up'. "Hey!" Raye called trying to get Beryl's attention.

"What do you want?" Beryl asked when she saw Raye standing there.

"I just wanted to tell you that before you go to bed you might want to pack a suitcase."

"Why?" Beryl asked, eyeing Raye.

"We're going to San Francisco tomorrow. You know, bissness trip." Raye told Beryl before she quickly ran out of the room so she would be out of hearing rage or go death by Beryl's scream.

**AN: Well, this is my newest story. I've had this idea for quiet a few years and just now started to write it down. Anyway, please review.**

**Princess Cornelia **


	2. Chapter 2

**The Painter:**

**Chapter 2:**

Serena Sanders sat in her small apartment eating her breakfast when her twin sister, Mina, came through the front door. "Good morning, Serena." Mina chirped as she walked over to the fridge.

"Hi Mina." Serena replied. She then got up and slowly walked over to the sink with her plate. "Mina, I'd love for you to stay but I have to paint my latest painting by Friday."

"I'll go get your paints." Mina told her sister as she went to the back of the apartment.

Serena walked into the small living room and sat down on a stool in front of her canvas. She sighed as Mina walked back into the room with paints. "Thanks."

Mina then went over to the couch and sat down. "Mina, I know I'm blind but I also know that you are still here." Serena said fiercely to her sister.

"Fine, I'll leave." Mina told her sister as she got up and left.

Serena sighed after her sister left. She then grabbed her paints off the table to began to paint. She lifted her brush up to the blank canvas when the door opened. "GO AWAY!" Serena yelled as her brother came into her room.

"Geez, what did Mina do to piss you off?" Her brother, Jadeite asked as he came into the apartment. "I only wanted to give you your mail."

Serena said nothing as her brother set the mail on the table. He then turned around to leave when the phone rang. "Can you get that?" Serena asked.

"Sure." Jadeite said as he answered the phone. "Hello? Yeah, hold on. Here."

Serena took the phone from Jadeite. "Hello? Yes, this is she. You want to look at my art? Well, I can meet you Tuesday at the museum. Say around noon. Alright, good bye." Serena said as she hung up the phone.

"Who was that?"

"Huh? Oh, he said his name is Darien Ross and I guess he's an art collector. He wants to look at some of my art."

"Good for you. Well, I'll be going now." Jadeite told his sister as he let her go back to painting.

**AN: Yes, it's another short chapter. I'm sorry if you wanted a longer chapter but for some reason I can't write long chapters. Anyway, please review.**

**Princess Cornelia **


	3. Chapter 3

**The Painter:**

**Chapter 3:**

Darien hung up the payphone and walked back over to his sister and fiancé."So?"Raye asked as they grabbed the bags and began to leave.

"I'm meeting Ms. Sanders at the museum tomorrow." He told them as they caught a cab to the hotel.

At the hotel they checked in and went to their room. The room was a two room suite. Darien and Beryl went to their room and put their things away while Raye went to her own room and put her things away. "Alright, because of the three hours difference I'm going to bed." Raye told her brother as she yawned.

"Alright, good night Raye."

"Night!" Raye called from her room.

"Now that we're alone we can start talking about our wedding." Beryl said as she sat on the bed and crossed her legs.

Darien turned to look at her giving her a half smile. "Sorry, not tonight. I have to make up a contract incase I have a new client." He told her as he plugged in his laptop.

"Fine, well I'm going to bed." She told him as she stormed into the bathroom to change.

**AN: I swear this is going to be the shortest chapter of this story. Anyway, please review. **

**Princess Cornelia **


	4. Chapter 4

**The Painter:**

**Chapter 4:**

The next morning Serena and Jadeite made their way to the museum. They got there a few minutes early and waited in front of one of her paintings. "You know Sere, for a blind person you paint well."

"Gee, thanks." Serena replied sarcastically.

"Aww, come on. You know I'm teasing you."

"Excuse me." Came a voice from behind them.

"Yes, can I help you?" Jadeite asked as he turned around.

"I'm looking for a woman named Serena Sanders. She's a painter. Do you know weather or not she's here?"

"Yeah, she's my sister. Sere, that man is here." Jadeite called over to his sister.

"I know." Serena responded.

Serena drew in a deep breath before she turned around to face Darien. Darien took in a breath when he saw Serena for the first time. She had long blonde hair that was up in an odd style, but it looked cute on her. She was about five-four and had blue eyes. He noticed her eyes didn't look right. "Are you blind?" He asked her.

"Yes."

Darien looked at the painting and back at her. "Wow, you painted that?"

"My sister may be blind, but she paints wonderfully." Jadeite said to Darien. "Our sister, Mina, and I fully support her."

Darien looked from Jadeite to Serena and smiled. "I have no doubt that you painted that painting. I want to ask if you would consider letting me buy your art and sell it to other people."

"Really? This is the first time someone's asked to buy and sell my art. I really had no idea I was that good."

"So, will you do it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I have a contract ready but I didn't know that you were blind so…"

"It's alright. Jadeite can read it out loud to me." Serena said as she reached out for her brother's hand.

Jadeite took his sister's hand in his and lead her over to a table. When they reached the table Jadeite pulled out a chair for his sister. "Thank you." Serena said to her brother.

"Alright, here's the contract." Darien said as he handed a copy to Jadeite.

Jadeite took the contract from him and looked though it. "Alright, Serena it basically says that you agree to sell him your paintings and he'll sell it to other people and/or galleys and he'll give you 70 of the prophet. Do you agree?"

"Yes."

"Good." Darien said to her. "Now, I need your signature in a few places."

Jadeite guided her hand to the places in need of a signature. After they were done Serena started to stand up. "If we're done I'd like to go home."

"Alright, let's go." Jadeite said to his sister.

"I'm going to stop by your house tomorrow to see some of your paintings." Darien to them as he left.

Jadeite looked at his sister who said nothing as she waited for him to take her home. Jadeite shrugged as he led his sister to the car and took her home.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Painter:**

**Chapter 5:**

The next day, Raye and Darien stood outside of Serena's apartment. Yesterday after Darien told Raye that their new client was blind, Raye wanted to meet her for herself. "Remember Raye, she may be blind but she's still a person." Darien told his sister before he knocked on the door.

"I know," Raye said annoyed with her brother. "I'm not five."

"Okay, okay." Darien said as he knocked on the door.

"Come in." Serena's voice called from inside the apartment.

Darien placed one hand on the door knob and opened the door. They both entered the apartment and looked around. It wasn't very big, but it was a good size for someone who was living on their own. Sitting in the center of the tiny living room was Serena. "Hello Darien." Serena greeted them as they went into the living room. "Who is with you?"

Raye looked surprised that Serena knew that it was Darien or that someone was with him. Raye then looked at Darien questioningly, but he just shook his head. "Serena, my sister Raye is with me. Raye, this is the new client, Serena."

"Nice to meet you." Raye said to Serena. "If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you become blind?"

"RAYE!" Darien yelled at his sister.

"It's alright." Serena told Darien as she turned her head to the sound of their voices. "I don't mind. If you want to know I wasn't born blind."

**Flashback**

Five-year-old Serena lay in bed. She had been like this all week and was only getting worse. "Hey Sere, I have your school work." Mina told her sister as she set the work on Serena's night stand.

"Hmhm." Was Serena's only response.

As soon as Serena turned to face the wall the door opened and Serena's mother came into the room. "How's my baby feeling?" Her mother asked as she walked over to the bed and placed her hand on Serena's forehead. "You're burning up. Why don't you try and sleep?"

Serena nodded before drifting to sleep. An hour later she woke up and saw nothing but darkness. She then let out a piercing scream. "What's wrong?" Jadeite asked as he ran into his sister's room.

"I can't see." Serena told her brother as she started to cry.

**End Flashback**

"From that day on I could no longer see." Serena told them as she how she lost her sight.

"Oh, wow." Raye said. "You lost your eye sight to a fever. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, but that's not why you're here." Serena said to them as she stood up.

Serena then walked over to the couch and pulled a painting from behind it. Darien walked over to her and took the painting from her. "Oh wow." He whispered softly.

The painting was of a beautiful garden. Ivy and flowers were everywhere. To the side were ladies having a tea party. "That's really beautiful." Raye told Serena as she took the painting from Darien. "Do you know what it looks like?"

"Yes, I paint an image I have in my head. I'm very surprised that you guys think its any good."

"It's absolutely breathtaking." Darien told her as he pulled out a checkbook. _'It's not the only thing that's breathtaking. Wait, what am I thinking? I'm engaged, I shouldn't be having thoughts like that.'_

Darien finished singing the check before handing it to Serena. "I'll pay you more when I sell the painting."

Serena nodded as she took the check from him and guided herself to the table to set the check upon. As she was doing that Darien and Raye then left. Before he was out the door Darien turned around and looked at Serena. "Good bye." Darien said as he left and shut the door behind him.

"Bye." Serena muttered as he shut the door behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

The Painter 

**Chapter 6:**

The very next day, Darien sat in the hotel room thinking. After the meeting yesterday with Serena he couldn't stop thinking about her. "Darien, what's wrong?" Raye asked her brother as she walked into the room.

Darien looked up from the table and over at his sister. "Hmm?" He asked.

"I asked what's wrong. I've never seen you like this." Raye told her brother as she sat next to him.

Darien sighed. "I don't know. I've been like this since yesterday."

Raye looked at her brother for a long moment. She tried to remember what happened yesterday. The only really big thing she remembered was visiting Serena's apartment to talk to her. "Does it have anything to do with Serena?" She asked.

Darien looked at his sister in the eye and nodded. "Yes, it has everything to do with Serena."

"Tell me."

Darien sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't really know what's going on." He told his sister. "All I know is that I saw her yesterday and now I can't stop thinking about her."

"Darien, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you love Beryl?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"I want to know." Raye told her brother.

"I thought I did, but now I'm not so sure."

Raye looked at her brother and sighed. "How do you feel about Serena?"

"What do you mean? She's a client."

"I know that, but what are your feelings for her?" Raye asked him. Darien only looked at her confused. "Please think about it."

Darien sighed as he watched his sister leave the room. What did he feel for Serena? That was a good question. He had only met her two days ago, but he had a strange feeling about her. He couldn't explain it. Though now whenever he thought fiancé he just thought of another woman. It was confusing.

He looked up when he heard the door open. Beryl had just walked into the room with a bag. "Okay, since you've been gone for the past two days and I didn't want to sit around the hotel. So I went shopping. I bought a wedding dress." She told him.

Darien just blinked as he watched Beryl. As he watched her he began comparing her to what he knew of Serena so far. "By the way, we're going back to New York tomorrow, right?"

"You can go if you want to. I'm thinking about staying here for a few more days." He told Beryl.

"Oh." She said as she went into the other room.

She threw the bags onto the bed and paced angrily about the room. What was wrong with him? Why did he want to stay _here?_ She didn't understand. She scowled as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She tried to think of any reason that would make him want to stay when it hit her. It was that painter girl. She was corrupting Darien's mind. She had to do something. She had to make a phone call.

One important phone call later…

Beryl over to Raye's room and knocked on the door. When Raye answered the door she sighed. "What the hell do you want?" She asked.

"I want to know what's wrong with Darien."

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I'm his fiancé and I think I should know what's wrong with him."

Raye smirked at her. "Did you ask him what was wrong?"

Beryl looked at Raye and blinked. "Uh," She started.

"Well?"

Beryl just got mad. She turned on her heels and left. Raye giggled to herself as she watched Beryl leave. That woman got on her nerves, but she was a good source of entertainment.


	7. Chapter 7

The Painter 

**Chapter 7:**

Serena sat on her couch. She had a sketchbook in her lap and a pencil in her hand. She always sketched something when she didn't want to paint. Of course, being blind, she had no idea what she drew. The door then opened and Jadeite came into the room. "Hey Sere," Jadeite said to his sister as he walked into the room. "Ready to go to the store?"

"Yeah, hold on."

Serena set her book down and stood up. Jadeite grabbed Serena's jacket from the closet and walked over to her. He handed the jacket to his sister. As Serena took the jacket from him, Jadeite spotted the sketchbook. "Hey," Jadeite started as he picked up the sketchbook. "This looks a lot like Darien."

"Really?" Serena asked her brother as she put her jacket on.

"Yeah, you didn't…" Jadeite was cut off by Serena's eyes. "I'm sorry, sometimes I forget your blind."

Serena was about to say something when the phone rang. "Hello?" She said as she answered it. "Hi Darien. Go out to lunch? Sure, when? Today? Okay, what time? Okay, I'll see you then."

Serena handed the phone back to her brother. "Hey Jadeite, what time is it?"

"Twelve-thirty, why?"

"Darien asked me wants to meet me for lunch at one. You have to pick out something for me to where."

"Sere, incase you don't understand how deep my voice is, but I'm a GUY!"

Serena said nothing as she pulled her brother with one hand and felt the wall with her hand. Once they were in her room she opened her closet door and pushed her brother in fort of the closet. "Pick something please."

Jadeite sighed. Why did he have to have sisters? Jadeite stood in front of her closet for ten minutes before he pulled out a blue skirt and a pink tank top. He then shoved them into Serena's arms and stormed out of the room. He could hear Serena's giggles as he closed the door behind him.

………..

Darien sighed as he stood outside of a restaurant. He couldn't believe that he had asked a client out to lunch. Well, he had asked clients out to lunch before but those were all businesslike lunches. He turned around and sighed. "Darien? Are you here?" He turned around and saw Serena.

Her back was to him, but that was because she didn't know weather or not he was there. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Whose there?" She asked as she turned around.

"Relax, it's just me."

"Darien?"

"Yeah, come on. Let's go inside and eat." Darien said as he took her by the hand and lead her inside.

He led her over to the table and seated her. After he was seated she looked up. "You know, just because I'm blind doesn't mean you have to seat me." She told him. She didn't like people doing things for her that she could do.

Darien started at her and blinked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I was just trying to be a gentlemen."

Serena smiled slightly. "It's alright. I just hate people doing things for me that I can do. I didn't mean to be rude."

Darien smiled at her when the waitress cam by. "Can I gut you guys something to drink?"

"Water please." Serena told the waitress.

"Coffee."

After the waitress left Serena cleared her throat. "So, I guess you asked me to lunch to talk about business right?"

"No, I asked you to lunch so I could get to know you better."

Serena blushed slightly. This was the first guy she knew that wanted to get to know her better. All the guys that wanted to 'Get to know her better' had wanted to take advantage of her because she was blind and therefore she couldn't defend herself.

They talked about everything for a while, just getting to know each other better. An hour later they walked outside and Darien saw Jadeite waiting for her. "Your brothers here." He told her.

"Okay, bye Darien." She said as she heard Jadeite walk over to them.

"Serena, wait." Darien said as he stopped her from leaving.

Serena looked around wondering where his voice had come from. She then felt him press his lips against hers. Serena, who was now confused; only blinked. Jadeite glared as he walked over to Darien. He hen reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This has my home phone number on it. Call me later tonight." Jadeite told Darien as he then left with Serena.

Darien placed the piece of paper into his pocket and walked to his rental car. Why did Serena's brother give him his number? He sighed as he started the car. Unless he wanted to talk about the kiss he just gave Serena. He knew he would if he saw someone kiss Raye in front of him.

When he reached the hotel he got out of the car and walked to the room. When he opened the door, he saw someone in the room waiting for him. "Hey Darien."


	8. Chapter 8

The Painter 

**Chapter 8:**

When he reached the hotel he got out of the car and walked to the room. When he opened the door, he saw someone in the room waiting for him. "Hey Darien."

Darien walked into the room and closed the door behind him. "Andrew, what are you doing here?" He asked his best friend who was sitting on the bed.

"Well, I came to see you of coarse." Andrew told Darien as he stood up.

"You know you were always a bad liar."

Andrew sighed. "Fine, Beryl called me yesterday. She said something about you not wanting to plan the wedding."

Darien blinked. He never said anything about not wanting to plan. Though he hadn't really said anything to her. He sighed as he sat down in a chair. "I haven't been really thinking about that."

Andrew sat in the chair next to him. "Annoying client?"

Darien shook his head. "Just the opposite. The new client is wonderful. I like her a lot."

"Then why not go back to New York and start planning your wedding?"

"Don't you get it. I like the new client, well her name is Serena, a lot better than I like Beryl. I mean, Serena's sweet, she can take care of herself, and doesn't like other people doing things for her." Darien told Andrew. "On the other hand, Beryl is a spoiled brat who I'm only marrying because my father wants me to."

"So, what your telling me is that you like Serena better than you like Beryl. Am I correct?" Darien just nodded.

Beryl couldn't believe what she was hearing. He liked the blind person better than her? She didn't even know what he looked like. At least she knew what Darien looked like. It was then she decide to come out of the bathroom. She slammed the door open and stomped into the room. "So, you never liked me?"

"Why were you listing?" Darien asked.

Beryl said nothing as she walked over to the door. She opened it and turned to the two men. "I'll be leaving now, I would tell you where I was going, but we both know you don't care." Beryl then left, slamming the door behind her.

Andrew turned and looked at Darien. "I'm guessing she was listing in."

"Do you have a hotel room?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Could you leave me alone for a while? I need to make some phone calls."

Andrew nodded as he walked out the door. Darien sighed as he turned to the phone. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper that Jadeite had given him. He the grabbed the phone of the receiver and dialed the number.

…………..

Later that evening Darien pulled in front of the same restaurant that he took Serena to earlier that day. He got out of the car and walked over to where her brother was standing. "Good evening." Darien said to Jadeite as he walked over to him. "You wanted to talk to me, right?"

"Yes, let's go for a walk."

Darien said nothing as he followed Jadeite. The two of them walked in silence for a while before Jadeite sighed. "Why did you kiss my sister earlier today?"

Darien blinked. "Because I like her, a lot." He told Jadeite.

"Why? Because she's blind and can't defend herself?"

Darien shook his head. "No, I like because she's unique, sweet, and smart." He told Jadeite. "Listen I have a younger sister too. If she were blind I'd probably act this way if someone I barley know wanted to try and get close to her. I want you to know that I would never want to hurt your sister."

Darien then turned around and started to walk back the way that he had just came with Jadeite. He got back into the rental car and drove back to the hotle to get some sleep after a long day.


	9. Chapter 9

The Painter 

**Chapter 9:**

A week passed and Darien and Serena had spent a lot of time together. Beryl had left him and went back to New York. Ray had gone back to New York as well, but separately than Beryl. Andrew had stayed because he wanted to meet Serena.

"So, when do I get to meet her?" Andrew asked for the tenth time that day.

Darien sighed. "For the last time, you'll meet her later today." Darien told Andrew as they walked through the mall.

"Sorry."

As they walked out of a department store Darien saw Serena and her sister Mina. Darien walked over to the two girls. Andrew only watched from where he was standing. "Good afternoon ladies." Darien greeted the girls.

"Good afternoon, Darien." The twins said together.

Darien smiled as he placed his hand on Serena's shoulder. She then turned around so her back was no longer to him. "Oh, I'm sorry." She apologized.

"It's alright." He told her. "Hey, I want you to meet a friend of mine."

Mina looked over to where Andrew was standing. "Is that your friend?" She asked not taking her eyes off him.

Darien turned around and looked at Andrew. "Yeah, that's him." He told Mina. "Hey Andrew, come over here!"

Andrew looked over at Darien before going over to where was. "Yeah?" He asked as he looked at the two girls.

"I want you to meet some people I know." He told his friend. "Andrew this is Serena and her twin sister Mina. Serena, Mina, this is my best friend Andrew."

"Nice to meet you." The twins said together.

Andrew smiled and nodded. "It's nice to meet you, young ladies." He said to the girls.

Andrew studied the twins for a while. They did look a lot alike. The both had the same hair color, same complexion, and same color eyes? Andrew looked from Mina's eyes to Serena's eyes. He knew something was wrong with Serena's eyes, but he didn't want to be rude and ask.

Darien looked from Andrew to Serena. He sighed. He knew he should've told Andrew that Serena was blind. "Andrew, I should've told you before, but Serena's blind."

"Really? So I wasn't wrong when I thought something was wrong with your eyes." Andrew said to Serena.

Serena smiled. "It's alright. I wouldn't have been offended." She told Andrew.

Mina looked at her sister then at Darien before turning her attention to Andrew. "Andrew, have you ever been to this mall before?" Mina asked.

Andrew looked at Mina and blinked before catching on. "Oh, no I haven't. Say does this place have a good bookstore?"

"Sure does, follow me."

Darien watched Mina and Andrew walked away before turning his attention to Serena. "Well, it looks like they left us alone for a while." Darien told Serena. "Do you want to get something to eat?"

Serena nodded before answering. "That'd be nice."

Darien took her by the hand and lead her to the food court. Darien looked at the restaurants before turning to Serena. "So, what do you want?" Darien asked her, not sure of what she wanted to eat.

"Pizza?"

"Okay." Darien said as he went over and got some pizza.

He walked back over to Serena and took her hand once more. He guided her over to a table. He set the tray down on the table before making sure Serena was seated. "I didn't know what kind of pizza you wanted so I got you cheese."

"It alright. Cheese is my favorite kind anyway." She told him as she began to eat it.

Darien smiled at her as he bit into his piece. Unknown to both of them was that they were being watched. Andrew and Mina watched them from upstairs. "So, why did we leave them alone?" Andrew asked as he watched them.

"Because, I know Darien has a thing for my sister and I want him to tell her." Mina told Andrew.

The two of them watched the pair, hoping to see something going on between them. They sat up there and watched them for what seemed like an hour. When nothing happened Andrew sighed. "How long are we going to watch them? It's been in an hour and they've just been sitting there."

Mina sighed. Andrew was right. They had been sitting there for an hour and nothing had happened. "Well, it's time for plan b." Mina said as she headed to the stairs.

Andrew looked at her funny. "What about plan a?"

"This was plan a." Mina told him as she went down the stairs. She had to think of something. She knew they liked each other, but neither one would tell the other.


	10. Chapter 10

The Painter 

**Chapter 10:**

The next day the four of them went to the beach. Serena let Darien guide her as they walked around. As they were walking Mina decided to set plan b into action. "So, when are you guys going back to New York?" She asked them.

Darien looked at Andrew and sighed. "We're going back tomorrow." He told the girls.

Mina blinked before smiling to herself. "That's really too bad." Mina said.

Andrew nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it is too bad. Say Mina, I need your help with something."

Mina nodded. "Alright, on the way there you can tell me what you need help with."

Darien watched the two leave and sighed. He then turned to Serena. "They left us alone again." He told her softly.

Serena smiled. "I think they want us to tell each other something." She told him.

Darien looked at her and smiled. "Is there anything that you want to tell me?"

Serena's blank eyes were on the ground now. She wanted to tell him but she didn't know if he felt the same way. Darien looked at her. "Is something wrong?" He asked her.

"There is something I want to tell you. Though I'm not sure how you'll take it." Serena told him as she put her arms out in front of her trying to find something to sit on.

Darien grabbed her hand and led her over to some rocks. He then picked her up and set her down on a flat one. "There, now, what do you want to tell me?"

Serena sighed. "Yeah, I want to tell you that I like you a lot." She told him. "Well, maybe…I don't know what I'm trying to say."

Darien smiled at her gently. "I think I know what you're trying to say. I like you a lot too. More than a friend." Darien told her as he sat next to her. "I think I might love you."

"You think?"

Darien sighed. "I'm not sure, alright. I know I care about you, but…It's complicated."

Serena smiled weakly. "I know. I do wish I could spend more time with you."

Darien then jumped up. "I know. Why don't you, Mina, and Jadeite come to New York for a while? We could spend some more time together and test things out."

Serena blinked. Was he serious? "Don't you have a fiancé?"

"Let me worry about Beryl. So, what do you say?"

Serena sat there and thought about it for a moment. "Sure, why not."

………

Mina and Andrew looked at Serena and Darien from afar and smiled. "I hope they told each other." Andrew said.

Mina smiled before answering. "I think they did."

Andrew then smiled in response. "Hey Mina." He started.

"Yeah?"

"I know we've only know each other for a while, but would you like to go out to dinner tonight?"

Mina looked up at him and blinked. "Sure, I'd love to." She answered with a smile.

"Great." Andrew replied. "Now I think we should get back over to them."

Mina nodded as she and Andrew walked back over to Darien and Serena. "Oh, there you guys are." Darien said when the blondes were back over were they where.

"Mina, guess what."

"What?" Mina asked her sister.

"I've decided to go to New York with Darien." Serena told her sister.

"You have?"

Serena nodded. "You and Jadeite can come of course."

Mina nodded. "Okay, I wouldn't mind. Now we just have to convince Jadeite to come with us."

…………………..

Later that evening at Serena's apartment the three siblings sat in the living room. "You're going to New York with them?" He asked. "Why?"

"Because we want to get to know them better." Mina told their brother.

Jadeite sighed before looking at his sisters. "Alright, I'll go with you guys."

Mina looked at her sister before jumping up and hugging their brother. Tomorrow the five of them would be off to New York to see what was in store for them.


	11. Chapter 11

The Painter 

**Chapter 11:**

Raye stood in the airport looking for her brother and Andrew. They were supposed to be coming back that day. She sighed as she sat down waiting for the lane to come in. A week ago Darien had called and told her that he and Andrew were going to be a little longer than they thought. She wondered why but decide not to ask. She looked down at her watch. The plan should be coming in now.

Raye got up from her seat and walked over to baggage claim. When she got there she saw her brother, Andrew, Serena, and two other blondes. She guessed that they were Serena's siblings. Wait, what were Serena and her siblings doing here. "Darien, Andrew." She called over to them.

"Raye!" Darien said as he gave his sister a hug.

Raye then looked at everyone else. "I see you decide to bring a little of San Francisco back with you. So, what's going on?" She asked looking at the three blondes behind Darien and Andrew.

"It was his idea." Andrew told Raye.

Darien glared at Andrew before turning back to his sister. "I invited Serena to New York so we could get to know each other even better. I also invited her brother, Jadeite, and sister, Mina, to come as well."

"Hi." Mina and Jadeite said together.

"Nice to meet you." Raye said to them. "Wait, what about you-know-who?"

"Let me worry about Beryl all right." He told his sister. "Now, let's go home. All right?"

Raye said nothing as the six of them went to leave JFK Airport. They all pilled into a taxi outside. "Where ya headed?" The driver asked once they were all inside.

"Cooperstown." Darien told the driver.

The driver grunted in response. After an hour of driving they were at the mansion. "That's eighty dollars." The driver told them.

Darien reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred. "Keep the change." He told the drive as he got out.

The six of them walked down a long driveway up to the house…well mansion. Mina stopped dead in her tracks when she saw it. "You LIVE here?" She asked making sure the driver got the right house.

Darien and Raye looked at each other before looking back at Mina and nodding. "Yeah, we live here." They said together.

"Our father's a really popular lawyer." Raye told the group as they walked up to the mansion.

When they were all inside Jadeite and Mina looked around. "Nice place you got here." Jadeite told the two.

"Thanks." Darien said. "I'll show you guys to your rooms."

Darien picked up Serena's suitcase with one hand and took her hand in another. "Watch your step." He told her as he led her up the stairs.

Back down at the bottom Mina was about to pick up her suitcase when Andrew stopped her. "Here, I'll get that for you." He told her as he picked it up.

Jadeite looked over at Raye. "I would carry something of yours up the stairs but you have nothing to carry."

Raye looked at Jadeite and smiled. "That's all right. It's the thought that counts." She told him.

"There are two guest bedrooms." Darien told them once they were upstairs. "Serena, you'll share a room with your sister."

They stopped in front of a door on the left side of the hallway. "This is the room. Right across the hall is my room and next door is the bathroom."

Darien opened the door and set Serena's suitcase down. Andrew did the same with Mina's. Taking hold of Serena's hand again he led them down the hall. Once they were at the other end of the hall they stopped in front of another door. "This will be your room." Darien told Jadeite. "Raye's room is across the hall if you need anything."

Raye glanced down at her watch. "In an hour our fathers coming home. If you want you can stay in your rooms for that time. When he gets home though we want you guys to meet him. Also, that's when dinner is."

Mina went into her and Serena's room to take a nap and Jadeite went inside his to also nap. Andrew went home and Raye went downstairs to work on something. Darien and Serena were left alone in the hallway. "So, what do you want to do?" He asked her.

"I suppose that I could go for a walk."

"I'll go with you. There's a river not to far from here. We could walk down there and walk back with in an hour."

"Alright." Serena told him as he grabbed her hand and led her outside.

When they reached the river, Serena asked if they could sit down for a while. They sat on the bank of the river in silence for a bit. After a while Darien looked down at his watch. "Oh, it's we should start heading back if you don't want to be late." He told her as he stood up.

Serena nodded as he helped her up. They then headed back on the path to go back to the mansion. On the way back though someone was standing on the path. Waiting for Serena.


	12. Chapter 12

The Painter: 

**Last Chapter:**

_Serena nodded as he helped her up. They then headed back on the path to go back to the mansion. On the way back though someone was standing on the path. Waiting for Serena. _

**Chapter 11:**

They stopped walking when Darien saw Beryl standing there. She looked pissed. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he stepped in front of Serena.

"I came to see you. Though I want to know what she's doing here." Beryl asked.

Darien looked at Serena and back at Beryl. He sighed. "That's what I need to talk to you about. Though can we do it after dinner?" He asked them.

Beryl mumbled yes as the three of them walked back to the mansion. When the three of them were back at the mansion they went inside to find everyone else. They did find everyone already in the dinning room, eating. Darien's father was with them. "Nice of you to join us." Mr. Ross said when the three of them came into the room.

"Sorry Father." Darien apologized.

"Well, I already met the other two. I guess it's time to met the third." Mr. Ross said as he stood up. "I'm Derrick Ross, Darien and Raye's father."

"My name's Serena Sanders. Nice to meet you." Serena said as she held out her hand. She had no idea that Darien's father was on the other side of the room.

"Well, come here." Derrick said, not knowing Serena was blind.

Darien looked from his father and to Serena and back. "Uh, Father, Serena's blind. She has no idea where you are."

Derrick sighed. "Oh, well. Sit down you three."

Darien led Serena over to the table and sat her down next to him. Beryl sat across from Serena and glared at her. Beryl didn't like the idea of Serena sitting next to Darien. Actually, Beryl didn't like Serena period.

Everyone ate in silence for a while. No one daring to talk first. When the silence became too unbearable Derrick cleared his throat. "So, Darien, tell us about the artist you met."

"Oh, I don't have to. Serena is sitting right next to me."

Derrick gave Darien a funny look before realizing that Serena was the artist that he had gone to meet. "So, what brings you guys here?" Derrick asked the three siblings.

Jadeite swallowed his piece of chicken before answering. "Well, Darien wanted us to come here. Ask him." Jadeite told Derrick as he bit into another piece of chicken.

Derrick looked from Jadeite over to Darien. "Well?"

Darien took a sip of his water before looking at his father. "Well, I just wanted to get to know Serena better."

"Why? You have fiancé?" Derrick asked as he looked at Beryl.

Beryl smiled warmly at her future father-in-law before going back to glaring at Serena. Serena felt Beryl's gaze upon her but just continued to eat her food. Darien looked at the two before looking at his father. "Can we not get into this now? I'll talk about it with you and Beryl after dinner."

Derrick sighed before returning to eating. "Alright." For the rest of the dinner everyone ate in silence.

After everyone was done Raye and Mina helped Serena back upstairs to the room that Serena and Mina shared. Jadeite went out for a walk. Soon Darien, Derrick and Beryl were all sitting at the table. "So, why'd you bring that blind brat here to New York?"

"I brought SERENA here to get to know her better." Darien told Beryl. "And she's not a brat. Unlike you."

"What did you call me?" Beryl ask not sure if she heard right.

"A brat. I called you a spoiled brat."

Before Beryl could say another word Derrick interrupted the fight. "Will you two knock it off?" Derrick asked. Neither of them said a thing. "Good, now I want to know what's going on between you two. Last time I saw you together you were a happy couple. Now what's going on?"

Beryl glared at Darien. "Ask him." She said.

Derrick looked at Darien with a raised eyebrow. Darien ran his fingers through his hair before looking at them. "Look, I when I asked you to marry me that was before I met Serena. Now that I know her my feelings for you have changed. I no longer feel the feelings I felt for you before I met Serena. I now have feelings for Serena and those feelings are stronger than the ones I had for you." Darien explained to Beryl, hoping that she would take the hint.

Beryl looked at him before standing up. "I see." She said calmly before leaving the dining room.

Beryl walked into the entryway and screamed. She noticed a vase with flowers in it and knocked it over. She looked up the stairs and deiced to pay a visit to Serena.


	13. Chapter 13

**The Painter:**

**Chapter 13:**

Beryl walked into the entryway and screamed. She noticed a vase with flowers in it and knocked it over. She looked up the stairs and deiced to pay a visit to Serena. She went up the stairs and found the room that Serena was in. She then looked around for Serena's sister. When she saw no sign of mina she opened the door and went inside.

Serena was sitting on the bed. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, she didn't know that though. When she heard the door open she sat up. "Mina?" She asked gently.

Beryl said nothing as she walked over to the bed. She then raised her hand and slapped Serena across the cheek. "Mina, what was that for?" Serena asked as she raised her hand to her cheek.

"I'm not your sister." Beryl told her coldly.

Serena was now getting scared. She had no idea who was in the room with her, though she recognized the voice she couldn't placed to whom it belonged to. Beryl looked down at her nails. She didn't want to ruin a perfectly good manicure, but she could always get another one. She raised her hand, but this time her nails where more like a cats claws. This time she scratched Serena across the face.

Serena let out a scream of pain. She started to get off the bed when Beryl yanked her back by her hair. Serena screamed yet again. Beryl then began punching in the face harder and harder. By this point Serena was crying. Beryl didn't care though. "This is for making me loose my fiancé to you."

While Beryl was beating on Serena, Darien had heard Serena scream twice. He ran as fast as he could upstairs to see what was wrong. When he opened the door he saw Beryl on top of Serena, beating her. He ran over to the bed and pulled Beryl from Serena. "What the hell are you doing?" He yelled at Beryl once he pulled her off of Serena.

"Let me go!" She yelled as she tried to free herself from Darien's grasp.

"Not until you tell me what they hell you think you were doing."

"I'll tell you. I deiced to teach her a lesson." Beryl told him, not regretting what you did.

Darien then let go of Beryl. "Leave." He told Beryl sharply. "I never want to see you again."

Beryl looked at Darien before glaring at Serena. She left the room and stormed down the stairs. He knew she was gone when he heard the door slam. Darien then turned his attention to the crying girl on the bed. Her face was now buried in her pillow. "Serena," He said to her gently as he sat on the edge of the bed. "It's alright. She's gone."

She lifted her head from the pillow and whipped away tears from her eyes. "Darien, why did she do that?" She asked softly.

Darien pulled her into his arms and shrugged. "I don't know. She probably wanted to hurt you because I told her that I cared for you more than her." He told her.

He looked at her face to see the damage Beryl had done. She had five slashes across her face. From Beryl's nails he guessed. She also had a few bruises on her face. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" She asked him.

"Beryl attacking you."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault."

Darien was about to answer when the door opened and Mina came into the room. She saw her sister and ran over to the bed. "Serena, what happened?" Mina asked her sister.

"Beryl attacked her." Darien told Mina.

Mina looked at him before looking back at Serena. "Are you alright?"

Serena nodded. "I'm fine."

Mina saw the scratches. "We should get those cleaned up. Come on." Mina helped her sister up and led her to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Once Serena and Mina were gone he got up and walked down stairs. He thought about Beryl attacking Serena. He wanted to be sure that Beryl would never come near Serena again. He needed a restraining order. He needed to talk to his father. He walked down to the den and knocked on the door. When he heard a come in he went inside. "Father, can I talk to you?"

Derrick looked up from his paper work. "Can it be later? I need to finish this paper work."

"I guess." Darien said as he left the room.

He went back upstairs and to the bathroom next to Serena and Mina's room. They were still in there. Mina was coving Serena's face in makeup to cover the bruises. He smiled to himself as he turned around. He needed to talk to Serena, but he figured he do it later.


	14. Chapter 14

The Painter: 

**Chapter 14:**

The next morning Darien and his father were in his office. Darien had wanted to talk with his father as soon as possible. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of them not sure what to say. After a while Derrick cleared his throat. "There's something that you wanted to talk to me about, right?" Derrick asked.

Darien moved his eyes off the ground and to his father. "Yes, I did want to talk to you." He told his father. "It's about Serena."

"Oh, what about that blind girl?" Derrick asked.

Darien sighed. "Yeah, I wanted to talk about Serena. I want you to know that I do care for her. More that I did for Beryl." Darien told his father.

"Do you really care for her?" Derrick asked his son.

Darien looked at his father and nodded. "Yes, I do care for her. I'm sorry if she isn't rich or anything, but I really do care for her."

Derrick looked at his son. He sat there looking at him quietly for a few moments. "Well, if you really care for her then why are we still talking? You should tell her."

Darien looked at his father and blinked. "Wait, you don't care?" He asked his father.

Derrick looked at his son and shook his head. "No, I never really liked Beryl anyway."

Darien smiled as he stood up. He left the room to go upstairs. He knocked on the door to Serena and Mina's room. When he heard a come in he went inside. He saw Serena sitting on the bed. "Hey." He said as he walked over to her.

"Hi." She said as she sat up.

Darien sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed. "I need to talk to you." He told her.

"About what?" She asked, curios.

"I need to tell you how I feel about you. Please don't say anything until I'm done." He told her. "Yesterday after dinner I talked with Beryl. I told her that I no longer had feelings for her. I told her that I now had feelings for you. I understand if you don't feel the same way.

Serena smiled. "I do feel the same way about you." She told him.

……………

Outside Mina and Andrew were taking a walk. They both were quite. They weren't sure what to say. Mina bent down to look at the flowers and sighed. "These are nice flowers." Mina said, breaking the silence.

Andrew bent down and looked at the flowers. "Yeah, they are nice." Andrew agreed. "Mina, there something I want to tell you."

"What?" Mina asked as she stood up.

Andrew ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Well, I want to tell you that I like you."

Mina looked at him. "Well, I like you too." She told him.

Andrew sighed again. "I'm sorry." He told her. "That's not what I meant to say."

"Oh, then what did you want to say?" She asked him.

Andrew sighed again. "I want to tell you that I want to get to know you better. I mean I got to know you better, but I still want to get to know you. Does that make sense?"

Mina stood up as she giggled. "I do too." She told him.

Andrew looked at her and smiled. "Great, you want to go out to eat?"

"Now?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Alright."

Mina and Andrew left the garden and walked to his car. They got into the car and he drove them into town. They went to a café and had lunch. While they ate they talked about all sorts of things.

……………………………

Upstairs inside Serena and Darien were sitting in silence. They had been for the past ten minutes. Darien then cleared his throat. "Um, Serena." He began. "Do you want to go to an art gallery this weekend? I sold your painting to one and I thought that we could go. I know you can't see, but is that all right?"

Serena smiled at him. "Sure, let's go. I don't mind. You could tell me what some look like."

"Okay, so Friday's good right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so I'll go now." Darien said as he got up and left the room.

As soon as he left Serena smiled happily. She was happy that he had invited her somewhere. She wanted to tell Mina but she had no idea where her sister was. She just sat on the bed waiting for her sister to come back so she could tell her.


	15. Chapter 15

The Painter: 

**Chapter 15:**

Friday night Serena, Darien, Raye, and Jadeite went to the museum together. They walked around together for a bit before splitting up. Before they spilt up they deiced to meet back in an hour. Serena and Darien walked down a hallway together. Along the way Darien told her what some of the paintings look like. "They must be beautiful." She said to him.

"They're not the only things." He told her.

While they were walking a young man at the other end of the hall was watching. He knew Serena and he didn't like a man with her.

…………….

As Raye and Jadeite were walking Jadeite spotted the young man who was watching his sister. Raye looked at Jadeite and then at the man he was watching. The man had dark hair and cold eyes. "Who is he?" Raye asked.

Jadeite started at the man a moment longer before turning to Raye. "He's a man whom I don't trust. His name is Seyia. He tried to rape Serena in high school. All because she couldn't see." Jadeite explained to Raye. "Luckily though Mina stumbled across them and kicked his ass."

Raye looked at Seyia and wondered what he was looking at. "Do you think he's watching Serena?" Raye asked. "And if so, what do you think he wants?"

"Probably what he couldn't get all those years ago." Jadeite told Raye.

………………

As they stopped in front of another painting Serena began to feel uncomfortable. Before Darien could begin telling Serena about the painting he looked at her. "What's wrong?" He asked her.

"I feel as if someone is watching me." She told him

Darien looked around. He didn't see anything strange but he didn't have a good feeling. He was about to say something when a man walked over to them. "Serena," The man greeted. "It's been a long time."

"Who are you?" Darien asked the man.

"I could ask you the same thing. Anyway, my names Seyia." The man said, introducing himself.

Serena grabbed Darien's hand and took a step back. Darien looked from Serena to Seyia and back. Something was wring, but he didn't know what. "We have to go now." Serena lied as she began to slowly back up.

Darien had the feeling that Serena didn't feel comfortable around Seyia. "You're right. We're going to be late." Darien went along with Serena's lie.

The two of them walked out of sight around the corner. "Who was that?" Darien asked when they were out of sight.

"He went to high school with me. We were friends for a while. That is until he tired to rape me." Serena told him.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

Serena smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. For now at least."

…………………

As soon as Serena and Darien left Seyia turned around and started to leave. He then saw Jadeite. "What do you want?" Seyia asked.

"I want to know what you want with my sister."

"That's none of your concern." Seyia told Jadeite as he began to walk away.

"I swear, if you hurt my sister I'll not only kick your ass, but I'll have you arrested." Jadeite threatened.

As soon as Seyia was out of sight Jadeite turned to Raye. "Come on let's go find Serena and Darien."

Raye just nodded as she followed Jadeite. Everyone now had a feeling that something bad was going to happen soon.


	16. Chapter 16

The Painter: 

**Chapter 16:**

The next morning Serena and Mina were walking down to the lake. "So, how was your date?" Mina asked.

Serena felt her cheeks turn red. "It wasn't a date." She told her sister.

Mina smirked at Serena. "Then why are you blushing?"

That only made her blush more. She then remembered hearing Seyia's voice at the museum. Her smile and blush quickly faded. Mina saw this and became worried. "Serena, did he do anything to you?" Mina asked her sister.

Serena shook her head. "No, he didn't do anything."

"Then what's wrong?"

Serena sighed. "We ran into Seyia at the museum."

Mina gasped. "Did that creep do anything to you?" Mina asked. She couldn't believe what she just heard. How in the world did they end up in the same place? She hoped to god that someone would protect Serena from that creep.

Serena shook her head again. "No, Darien was there. I made him lie to get me out of there. Then we found Rei and Jadeite and left. Can we change the subject?" She asked.

"Alright. So when are we going back home?"

"You and Jadeite can go anytime you want. I'm staying."

"What why?"

"I want to stay here because of Darien. I do like him. I feel safe around him. I love him." She told her sister.

Mina gave Serena a weak smiled. She knew Serena liked Darien. She also knew that Seyia showing up wasn't a good sign. She hoped that Serena wouldn't get hurt.

…………………………..

Later that day they all went to the park for a barbeque. On the other side of the park was Seyia. He was waiting for when Serena was alone. A few minutes later he saw Mina and Serena walk over to the bathroom, now was a perfect time. He got up from where he was sitting and walked over to the bathroom Serena was in. He saw Mina standing next to the door.

He picked something up and walked quietly over to Mina. He then hit her over the head with what he had in his hand, knocking her out. "Mina?" Came Serena's voice. "Are you ready to go back?"

Seyia slowly crept into the bathroom. Serena was drying her hands. "Mina?"

He came up behind her and grabbed her arm. "Come with me." Was all he said to her.

She said nothing as she let Seyia lead her away from the park and into the woods. They walked down a dirt path until no one could see them and he could see no one. "What do you want?" Serena asked him.

"You know what I want." He told her.

"I have a fiancé." She told him.

"The man I saw you with yesterday? He's your fiancé?" Seyia asked smirking. "Well then, let me give you a pre-wedding present."

…………..

Darien looked around for Serena and Mina. "They've been gone for a long time." He said to the others. "I'm getting worried."

"Me too." Jadeite said. "Let's look for them."

"Alright. Raye, you take the girls bathroom. Jadeite, check the playground. Darien and I will check the woods. They have to be here somewhere." Andrew said as they all stood up.

"Let's meet back up in an hour." Raye told the group.

They all nodded before off in separate directions. Raye ran over to the bathroom and saw Mina lying there. "Mina!" Raye yelled as she tried to wake her up.

……………

Jadeite looked around the playground. He saw signs of no one. He became really worried. They had to be around here somewhere. He just hoped they weren't hurt. If they were some one was going to pay.

……………

Seyia pushed Serena on the ground. "Looks like your sister isn't here this time around. Now to get what I wanted in high school, but never got." He told her as he lifted up her skirt.

"Why are you so obsessed with me?" She asked him as she tried to kick him off of her.

"Maybe because you're the only girl to turn me down." He told her.

………………

Andrew went down one path and Darien went down another. They deiced that it was easier this way to find them. "Serena! Mina!" He called as he walked down the path.

………………

Serena heard people calling her name and tired to stand up. Seyia grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back down. "You aren't going anywhere." He told her.

_'I hope Darien or Andrew or someone finds me someone.' _She thought as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Ugh, why can't you stay still?" He asked as he sat on top of her.

"Get off of me!"

"No, not until I'm done with you." He told her as he slid his hands up her skirt.

……………..

As Darien ran down the path he heard someone yelling. He stopped running and tried to figure out the direction it came from. "Serena!" He yelled hoping she would answer.

…………….

Serena heard Darien call her name. She wanted to get up but couldn't. Seyia had her pinned on the ground. He pulled off her panties and had her skirt pushed up to her waist.

She struggled to get free. "Someone help me please!" She called.

They both herd footsteps and Seyia saw Darien coming. Darien saw the two of them and got angry. "Get off of her!" He yelled as he tried to pull Seyia off of Serena.

"Let go of me." Seyia yelled as he wriggled free from Darien's grasp.

Darien looked from Seyia to Serena. "I can't believe that you're trying to take advantage of a blind girl. That's just wrong."

"Why do you care?" Seyia asked.

"I care because I love her. Now get lost."

Seyia started to leave but not before looking at Serena. "I'll get you yet. If I can't have you, no one can." He told her as he walked away.

As soon as he was out of sight Darien walked over to Serena. "Are you alright?" He asked her as he helped her stand up.

"I'm fine." She told him. "Can we find everyone else?"

Darien nodded as they began to walk back up the path. When they reached the top everyone was waiting for them. Mina had woken up and now had a major headache. "Serena, are you alright?" Jadeite asked his sister.

"I'm fine. Can we go? I don't feel well." Serena told them.

They all looked at each other then back at the blonde. Darien sighed. "I'll take her home if you guys want to stay."

They all just nodded as Serena and Darien left. They had no clue what happened but they hoped Serena was all right. Maybe she's talk to them about it later.

……………

Seyia left the park and ran to his car. He had to think of someway to get rid of Darien so he could have Serena. He had to get rid of him. Permanently.


	17. Chapter 17

The Painter: 

**Chapter 17:**

During the following week Mina and Jadeite went back to San Francisco. They asked Serena to come with them, but she said no. She wanted to stay in New York with Darien, where she felt safe.

The room that she was staying in had turned into a little studio. She had asked Darien if he minded but he said no. He even bought her a paint set. She mostly sat in the room all day trying to paint. He had tried to get her to go out a few times, but she said no.

Raye told Darien that Serena not wanting to go out must've been because of the attack. Darien agreed. Even though there had been no signs of Seyia they all knew they had to be careful because he was around somewhere.

Friday afternoon Darien went into Serena's room. He saw her sitting there in front of a blank canvas. "Serena." He said as he walked over to her.

"Yeah?" Serena asked.

"Are you alright? We've seen very little of you in the past week. I want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine." She told him as she gave a weak smile.

"Are you sure?" He asked as he sat on the bed.

"Yeah."

"Would you mind going to dinner one night?"

Serena sat there and thought about it for a few minutes. Did she want to go to dinner? There would be a chance that Seyia would be there. She wanted to go even if it meant running into Seyia. That was something she was going to have to deal with sooner or later. She wanted to deal with it sooner. "Sure."

"Really? You're sure?" He asked.

"Yes, I am. Let's go out to eat tonight."

Darien looked at her and smiled. He was happy that she wanted to go out, but he was also worried. He knew that there was a chance of running into Seyia, but if she wanted to take that chance then he would too.

………….

Seyia sat in the dark room. He had to think of a way to get Serena. First, he had to get rid of Darien, but how? Killing him would get rid of him permanently and Seyia wouldn't have worry about him. How would he kill him though? Seyia sat there and thought about it. As he thought about it, Seyia decided not to dirty his hands with murder, he decided to hire a hit man. Seyia then stood up and walked over to the phone. He punched in a number of a friend. A friend who owed him a few favors.

…………..

After Darien hung up the phone he went back into Serena's room. "Hey, Serena," He said to her as he entered the room. "Do you still want to go out to dinner?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I just made the reservations, so I wanted to make sure you still want to go." He told her.

Serena smiled. "I think it's time that I went out. Sorry if I'm repeating myself."

"It's alright. I keep making sure you want to go. I think we both want to be sure that we're sure." He told her. "If that makes sense."

"It does." She told him as she giggled.

He smiled at her. It was the first time he had heard her laugh in over a week. It was good to hear that sound. They sat there a few moments more in silence before he cleared his throat. "Well, I'll leave you alone to paint. I'll see you in a few hours." Darien told her as he got up and left the room. After he left the room Serena went back to painting.

…………………

Seyia set the phone down and looked at the floor. His friend was more than happy to assist him. Especially after hearing the amount Seyia was going to pay him. Seyia them smirked. His plan was going into action.

AN: Sorry about not updating in a while I've been really busy. Anyway I'm back with an update and hope to have this story fished soon. Anyway, please review.

**Princess Cornelia **


	18. Chapter 18

The Painter: 

**Chapter 18:**

That evening Seyia and his friend, Alan, walked towards the mansion. As they got closer Seyia looked over at Alan. He was wondering how Alan knew where Darien lived when he had been trying to figure that out for a week. "Are you sure this is the place?" Seyia asked as they stopped walking.

The brown harried man turned to him and smiled. "It is. I have my way of knowing these things." Alan told him.

"Alright, so how long do you think we should watch them?" Seyia asked as they sat in the bushes.

"At least a day. If they leave tonight then when they get back we attack." Alan explained as he bent down and took out two pistols. He handed one to Seyia. "For later."

The two men sat in the bush for over an hour. Seyia was starting to get impatient. He wanted to kill Darien now, not wait for a convenient time. He couldn't wait to kill him. Well, Alan to kill Darien. Once Darien was dead he could have Serena all to himself. As the two were sitting in the bush they heard the front door open. They sat up and saw Darien and Serena walking over to a car. "We'll wait until they get back." Alan told Seyia.

Seyia nodded as they watched Darin help Serena into the car before getting in himself. When they were in the car Serena felt someone was watching her. Darien looked at her and noticed that she looked uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" He asked her.

"I feel like someone is watching us." She told him softly.

Darien looked at her for a moment longer before opening the door to get out. He walked all around the yard. He neither saw nor heard anyone out there. After doubling back around the yard he walked back to the car and got inside. Once he was inside he turned to Serena. "I didn't see anything." He told her.

Serena sighed. "It must have been my imagination. Let's just go." She told him.

Darien nodded as he started the car. When they arrived at the restaurant they went in and had a nice dinner. Over dinner they talked about her paintings. They were trying to avoid any normal conversation. Serena thought that if they had a normal conversation it would only lead to what had happened.

Before they got their food they talked about what happened to the first panting that she sold him. He told her that it had ended up in a museum in Wisconsin. When she asked him if her name was given as the artist he told her yes and that he had made sure of it. She told him she asked because she knew some museums that she had sold her work to didn't want to give her name as the artist since she was blind. He assured her that they didn't know that she was blind.

While they were eating dinner they were talking about her newest painting. It was of a beautiful forest and a fairy sitting next to the water. He told her that he might be able to sell it to a local museum. He also told her that he'd buy the painting from her at a higher price than the last one. "Why?" She asked him.

"Well, because I did sell your painting for way more than I thought it was worth. So, I'll pay you more money than I paid for the last one." He explained to her.

"You don't have to do that. I'm fine with the same amount." She told him.

Darien shook his head. "Well, it seems we have a problem. I want to give you more money, but you won't take it. What are we going to do?" He asked as he smiled at her.

Serena giggled. "I have a solution." She told him. "Why don't you just keep the extra money?" She asked as the waiter set the bill on the table.

Darien picked up the bill and looked at it before taking out his wallet. "I don't want to cheat you out of money. You should get the money you deserve."

Serena was silent as the waiter came and picked up the check for the bill. As soon as the waiter left Serena cleared her throat. "Darien, it's alright. Now can we please drop it?" She asked as they stood up.

"All right." Darien said as they walked out to the car.

As she tried to feel her way around the car she slipped. Darien caught her by the wait, making sure she didn't hit the ground. Standing up Serena blushed. "Thanks." She said as she stood up straight.

"Your welcome." He told her as he opened the door for her.

Darien walked around to the other side of the car and got in. He then started the car and started to drive back home. Unknown to them was what was waiting for them when they got there.


	19. Chapter 19

The Painter: 

**Chapter 19:**

Seyia sat there angrily in the bush. They had been sitting in the bush for two hours. He thought they would've been back by now. Alan glanced over at Seyia and saw him sitting there with an angry look on his face. Alan sighed, he knew Seyia wasn't used to waiting. "They'll be back soon." Alan whispered to Seyia.

Before Seyia could say anything he saw the car pull up to the house. The two men looked at each other and back over at the car to wait and see. Darien got out of the drivers side and walked around to the passenger's side to open the door for Serena. Seyia looked over at Alan and saw that he had his gun raised. He waited until Darien was in sight before…there was a loud noise. Alan had fired the gun. Another loud noise, again he had fired the gun.

…

Darien and Serena had been walking back up to the house when Darien felt a pain in his chest. A minute later he felt another. Darien let go of Serena's hand and fell to the ground wincing in pain. Serena had no idea what was going on. First Darien had her hand and then he didn't. She had heard a gun shot though, but she didn't know how close it was. "Darien? Are you there?" She asked as she groped around in the darkness for him. She was worried. What had happened?

…

Raye was upstairs reading a book in her room when she heard a gun shot. She set her book down on her bed. She then ran over to the window to see what was going on. She gasped when she saw Darien on the ground and Serena feeling around for him. Raye grabbed a coat and ran out of her room.

She ran down the hall and pounded on her father's door. The door opened and Derrick had an annoyed look on his face. "What?" He asked.

"Something's happened to Darien." She told her father.

Derrick looked at her in shock. "Then what are we standing here for then."

….

Seyia smiled at Alan after Darien feel to the ground. He was about to leave the spot when the front door opened and two people came outside. "We should go." Alan said.

Seyia just nodded. The two men got up without being seen and ran over to their car. Alan then started the car and they drove away. Seyia looked behind them as the scene as they got smaller and smaller. He might not have had Serena at that moment but he knew he would one day. Also if Darien didn't die this time, he would try again until he was dead.

….

Serena tried to feel her way around until she felt someone grab her hand. "Darien?" She asked.

Raye sighed. "No Serena, it's me Raye." Raye told the shaking blonde.

"Raye?" She asked. "What's going on?"

Raye sighed again. "Serena, something happened to Darien. We're not sure what, but did you hear anything?" Raye asked the blonde.

Serena nodded. "I thought I heard a gun shot, but I didn't know how close it was." She told Raye as she began to cry.

Raye was about to say something when Derrick cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt you two girls, but Raye could you for an ambulance? He's unconscious and he's been shot. That was probably the gun shot you heard." He told Serena as Raye ran into the house and dialed 911.

A few minutes later Raye came back outside. "An ambulance is on the way. I also called the police and asked them to meet us at the hospital." She told them.

Derrick nodded before turning his attention back to his son. He hoped that Darien was going to live. Why did this happen? He was going to ask Serena once they got to the hospital.


	20. Chapter 20

The Painter: 

**Chapter 20:**

At the hospital Serena, Raye, and Derrick sat in the waiting room. They had gotten there an hour ago and right when they got there the doctors rushed Darien into surgery immediately. Now they were waiting for the police to arrive. Raye let out a sigh as she looked at her watch. The police should've been there by now. "Excuse us Ma'am." Two men said to her. "We're with the police and we're looking for a Miss Raye Ross. Do you know where she is?"

Raye looked at them and stood up. "Yes, I'm Raye Ross." She told them.

"Sorry we're late ma'am. By the way my name's Chad and this is my partner Ken." One of the men told her. "You called and said that your brother was shot. Do you know who shot him."

Raye shook her head. "Sorry, no."

"I do." Came Serena's voice.

The two police officers looked at each other before looking back at Serena. "You know who shot him?" Ken asked as he sat next to Serena.

Serena nodded. "His name is Seyia Winters. He tired to kill Darien because of me. If Darien survives I have a feeling he'll try again until he's dead." She explained to the police officers.

Ken looked up from his note pad. He had written down everything Serena had just told him. He just needed to know what he looked like. "Um, I just need to know one thing. I need to know what he looks like." Ken told her.

Serena sighed before she turned to Ken. "I'm sorry. I have no idea what he looks like." She told them. "I'm blind."

Ken and Chad sighed. That wasn't good and if their victim died that wasn't going to be good either. At least they had a name. Maybe he was in the database. They stayed with the other three in the waiting room to see if Darien was going to live. Though something Serena had told them was bothering them. If Darien did live she was probably right about Seyia trying again. They both thought about it and knew what they had to do.

Before they could talk to Serena a nurse came over to them. "Well, he's alive. You guys can go see him now." She told them.

"Oh thank god." Derrick said as they five of them got up and started to walk to his room.

"Serena, can we talk to you?" Chad asked her.

"Sure." She said as she sat back down in the chair.

Ken cleared his throat as he sat in the chair next to Serena. "We wanted to talk to you about what happened. Something you said is bothering us. You said if Darien lived then the man would try again. Now, you're sure?" Ken asked Serena.

"Yes, I'm positive." She told them.

Chad sat on the other side of her. "We were thinking about placing the two of you in a new area. You'll have to move out of state and change your names of course. You also won't be aloud to contact your family or friends either. Basically the two of you would be pounced dead." Chad explained.

Serena sighed. It was a big decision and she knew that she couldn't make it for two people. She was going to have to talk to Darien, if he was awake and well. "I'll have to talk to Darien, if he's well." She told them.

"Of course, we'll take her there." Ken told her.

Chad helped her down the hall to Darien's room. He knocked on the door once before opening it. "We're here." Chad said to everyone in the room.

"Raye, is Darien alright?" Serena asked as she sat in a chair.

"I'm fine." Came Darien's voice.

Serena sat up straight. He was awake and he sounded all right. She was so happy that he was fine. "That's great to hear." Serena told him as she smiled. "What did the doctor say?"

"He said that I just need to rest for a few days before I can go home." He told her.

"The doctor said that it just missed his lungs." Raye told Serena.

Serena sighed. "That's good."

Chad cleared his throat. He then turned to Raye and Derrick. "We need to talk to Serena and Darien alone, it's about something important." Chad told them.

Raye and Derrick looked at each other. They wanted to protest, but they were police officers, so they just left. Darien looked at both of the men. "Are you two police officers?" He asked the two men.

The two men looked at each other and back at Darien. "Yes." They said at the same time as they showed him their badges. "This young lady here told us that the man that shot you would try and kill you again, if you survived. We want to place the two of you in a new area. Something like the witness protection program, but not quite. You both will pronounced dead and won't be aloud to talk to any family or friends." Chad explained.

Darien looked from Serena to the two officers. He had a feeling that Serena was right. That Seyia would try and kill him again if he found out that he was alive. He wanted Serena to be safe. They talked quietly about it for a few minutes before turning back to the two men. "We talked about it and decided that it's for the best. I don't want to place her in any danger." Darien said to the police officers.

"Alright." Ken said. "Before we tell those two that you guys are dead we'll need a description of Seyia."

After Darien gave Chad and Ken the description of Seyia they left the room. Outside they saw Raye and Derrick waiting by the door. When they saw the two police officers they stood up straight. "So can we go in there?" Raye asked.

"No." Ken told them.

"No? What do you mean no?" Derrick asked. "Why can't we go in there?" 

"Serena and Darien are dead." Chad told them.

"What's going on?" Raye asked. "They were alive when we left the room."

"We can't tell you. It's the business of the federal agency now." Ken told them. "Though you'll be expected to attended the funerals. Don't worry. We'll find this man."

The two police officers then walked away from the two stunned people. After they were gone Raye sat down and started crying. She needed to call Mina and tell her what happened. Derrick asked the nurse if she knew anything. She told him that she couldn't talk to him about it. Raye walked over to a payphone and called Mina to tell her what was going on.

…

Mina and Jadeite were in their sister's apartment cleaning when Mina's cell phone rang. "Hello?" She asked as she answered the phone. "Oh, hello Raye. WHAT!" Mina exclaimed as she dropped the phone.

"What's wrong?" Jadeite asked as he went over to Mina.

Mina looked at her brother with horror in her eyes. "Raye just called and said that Serena and Darien are dead." Mina told her brother as she began to cry.

Jadeite pulled his sister close. He tried to comfort her by hugging her. What had happened? Who did this? All he knew is that they were going to fly to New York in the morning to see what was going on.


	21. Chapter 21

The Painter: 

**Chapter 21:**

The next morning Seyia turned on the TV to the news. He had no idea that he had made the news or the police even knew his name. When he was done buttering a bagel he looked up at the TV to see what was new on the news. When he saw a police sketch of himself he nearly chocked. How in the world did they find out it was him? How in the world did they know what he looked like? There was no time to worry about that now. He had to leave.

Seyia quickly ran into his bedroom and packed his bags. He the grabbed a baseball cap and sun glasses and put them on before running. He didn't care where he was going he just needed to get out of the city.

…

That afternoon Raye was at the airport. She wanted to tell Mina in person all she knew. "Raye," Mina called to the dark harried women. "What's going on?"

Raye looked at Mina and sighed. "I will tell you everything I know." Raye said to the two of them as she began to tell them everything the police told her. She told her that Darien was shot and died later at the hospital. Serena was in the room and she thought something had water in it. The police even said that it looked like water, but it was rubbing alcohol. She drank it and later died.

Mina stared at Raye in disbelief. Wouldn't they have smelled the rubbing alcohol? She didn't care. She knew that her twin sister was dead and that she was never going to see her again.

"Is there going to be funeral?" Jadeite asked.

Raye looked over at him and nodded. "Yeah, it's going to be here." She told them. "I didn't arrange it, the police station did. I'm sorry if you wanted it back in San Francisco."

Jadeite shook his head. "It's alright Raye. We don't know who we'd invite to the funeral anyway."

Raye gave a half smile as they took a Taxi to a church. On the way she told them that the funeral was that day and it would only be her, Derrick, and them. Mina then asked her if it was possible to get Serena's body back to California. Raye told her that she would have to talk to the funeral home.

Once they reached the church the three of them got out and went inside. Derrick was already sitting there. He turned around and saw them come inside. "Oh hello." He greeted them.

"Good afternoon." Mina greeted as they walked in and sat down in one of the pews.

Once the four of them were sitting the priest started the service. The service was two hours, an hour for each. After the service the four of them went back to the mansion. There they all sat around just talking about other things. After a while Mina called the police station and asked if they could get Serena's casket flow back to California. They said that they could have it out there in a week.

The next morning Raye drove Jadeite and Mina to the airport. That week they cleaned out Serena's apartment. They sold some of her paintings to a local museum. They rest of her stuff they sold in a yard sale; only keeping something that really reminds them of their sister.

…

Back in New York Raye and Derrick did something similar. They also kept small things that reminded themselves of Darien, but they gave the other things to thrift stores. They all tried to get on with their lives, but it was difficult. No matter how hard they tried they never completely forgot what happened.

AN: This is the last chapter, but there is going to be an Epilogue. Please review.

**Princess Cornelia**


	22. Epilogue

The Painter: 

**Epilogue:**

Five years later in a little town in Washington a dark harried man came home from work. He opened the door and walked inside the house. "Serena, I'm home." He called to his wife.

Just then a four-year-old girl ran down the hall. "Papa, Mama's mad at you." The little girl informed him.

Darien then walked into the living room. Serena didn't look too happy. He wondered what happened. "What's wrong?" He asked as he sat down on the couch next to her.

Serena sighed. "You know as well as I that my name's not Serena, it's Courtney." She told him. "And, don't say my real name in front of Rini. Okay, Jack. If Rini asks what my first name is I want to be able to tell her that it's Courtney without her asking why you call me Serena."

Darien sighed. He knew Serena was right. If he kept calling Serena by her real name then that would prompt Rini to ask questions about their past. They didn't want to tell their daughter about their past. It would just be too complicated. Maybe they would tell her one-day, but they didn't want to tell her anytime soon.

Serena had given up painting once she had found out that she was pregnant with Rini. All the fumes weren't good for Rini when she was a baby. Now she painted every once in a while, though it was hard with a four-year-old running around. It was even harder since she was blind.

Darien had gotten a job at a law firm as a paralegal. Every day he felt bad that Serena had given up painting, but he understood she only did it to take care of Rini. He also watched the news every day to see if they caught Seyia, but they hadn't.

They had spent five years of their lives as Jack and Courtney. Sometimes Serena wished that she could talk to her sister and brother. Darien wished that he could talk to his sister as well, but they knew that their families thought they were dead.

A few moments later Rini came into the room. "Mama, are you done being mad at Papa?" She asked, waiting to make sure that her mom wasn't mad at her dad.

Serena smiled. "I'm not mad anymore honey."

Rini then ran into the room with a piece of paper. "I made you a picture Mama." Rini told her mother as she handed her the paper. "I wish you could see it."

Serena smiled sadly as she set the picture down on the coffee table. She also wanted to see her daughters drawing. Darien picked up the drawing and looked at it. "Hey, that's really good sweetie." Darien told his daughter. "I think you have your mothers artistic talents."

Rini smiled happily as she took the picture from her dad. "Why don't you hang it on the fridge honey." Serena told Rini as Darien turned on the news. "You watch the news every day. So far they haven't found him. Do you think they're ever going to find him?"

Darien sighed as he looked at Serena. "I really don't know." He told her.

As he watched and she listened they were waiting for any information about Seyia. They weren't really expecting anything on him, but when information came on they listened to it. The reporter then said, "After five years of searching the police finally have Seyia Winters in custody, the man that shot and killed Darien Ross from New York."

Serena smiled happily when she heard that Seyia was caught. She was happy that the man that 'killed' Darien was caught. "We can finally have peace now. I don't have to worry about Seyia seeing me with Rini whenever we're at the park. I also don't have to worry about you when you're at work." She told him.

Darien smiled as he looked at his daughter in the hallway playing and back at his wife. He too was happy that Seyia was finally caught. Now they could have peace and that was something that they had waited for a long time to have.

…

In San Francisco Mina was doing some shopping when her brother had called her. Jadeite told her that Seyia was finally caught. She sighed in relief. She was glad that jerk was caught. He had caused a lot of problems and was going to be throne in jail. It was because of him that her sister had died. She was only too happy that he was off the streets.

…

Raye watched the news as she ate dinner. She always watched the news just in case there was any information on Seyia. After five years she wasn't expecting there to be any news. When she saw that there was she nearly chocked on her food. He had been caught. The man that killed her brother was going to prison. Her brother was finally going to have justice.

They were all happy that Seyia was finally going to prison and they would never have to hear about him again.


End file.
